The Island in general

Kos
is the third largest island of the Dodecanese after Rhodes and Karpathos with an area of 290km2. It is
also the second most-populated. It is located in the southeastern Aegean area between
Kalymnos and Nisyros at a distance of only 4 nautical miles off the coast of
Turkey and 200 nautical miles away from Piraeus.

The
island is measuring only 45km in length and 11km in width at its widest part
that shrink to just 2km at its narrowest. Its coastline stretches for 112km.

Kos
is elongated in shape from east to west and mainly has lowlands. Its tallest
mountain, Mount Dikaios with a peak at 846m above sea level is located at the
southeastern part of the island.

From
the prehistoric times, Kos was an important stopover for ships following the shipping
route from the Black Sea all the way down the coast of Asia Minor to Syria and
Egypt. This is why significant findings, ruins and monuments that prove that
the island has been continuously inhabited for the past 6000 years have been
found all over Kos.

The
island was the place of birth of Hippocrates. The father of modern medicine was
born on the island in 460 AD and founded his famous school there. The plane tree
under which he gave his lectures still exists today and is considered to be the
longest-living tree of its species in Europe.

The
capital of the island is the town
of Kos. There are seven more main settlements: Kefalos, Kardamena, Antimachia, Mastihari,
Pyli, Zipari and Tigaki. These villages together
with the town of Kos form a single municipality today after the recent changes
in the structure of the Greek administrative divisions.

The
ground of the island is a result of long-lasting geological changes caused by the
volcanic activity of the Aegean Sea. The monumental volcanic eruption that happened
160,000 years ago in the sea area between the island of Nisyros and the Kefalos peninsula covered the
whole island of Kos with a thick layer of volcanic ash. The fertile ground of the
island that was famous since the antiquity is a result of the degradation of
those volcanic materials.

Kos
has a lot of streams, hot springs and forests. It also has cliffs, sand dunes and
canyons that dry up every summer.

The
island has a Mediterranean climate with mild winters and dry summers that are,
however, quite cool due to the etesians, the strong and dry north winds blowing
every summer in the area.

The
coastal cedar forest stretching from Theologos to Ellinika, the forest of Plaka that is filled with peacocks,
the forest of Tsoukalaria,
the walnut forest at the foot of Mount Dikaios, the sand dunes at the Aliki, Kohilari and Lagada beaches and the lakes
at Psalidi and Pyli that support halophytic
and semi-halophilous vegetation are considered landscapes of particular
beauty.

Its
10 wetlands covering a total area of 1200 decares make Kos a significant assembly
point for migratory birds (flamingos, storks, swans) and an important natural
habitat for fish, invertebrates, reptiles and amphibians.

The
island also has a large number of rabbits. Additionally, six species of lizards
and nine species of snakes including the leopard snake (Elaphe Situla) have
been observed living on the island. The turtle species Testudo graeca, Μauremys
caspica and Caretta caretta have also been observed. The last one lays her eggs
at the beaches of Agios Fokas, Alikes, Krikelo, Kamari and Limnionas.

Eagles
and hawks build their nests on Mount Dikaios and the Mediterranean monk seal
has been spotted swimming around its steep coastal endings. The butterfly Callimorpha
quadripunctata, also known as the “butterfly of Rhodes”, has been observed
flying over the island’s fields.